Coves and anchorages of the Côte d’Azur: where to stop by boat
On the Côte d’Azur, you cannot stop wherever you like: many coves are swimming zones, no-motor zones or closed to anchoring, and the busiest ones are fitted with bookable mooring buoys (ZMEL) where anchoring is prohibited. This guide brings together, area by area, the possible stops and their rules, taken from the orders in force and detailed in each cruising guide.
Before choosing a cove: three questions
- Is stopping allowed? Swimming zone, no-motor zone, channel, no-anchoring zone: these areas are read on the buoyage plan and in PING, not from the presence of other boats.
- Is the seabed sand? Anchors are never dropped on Posidonia seagrass meadows; in a ZMEL, you pick up a buoy and anchoring is prohibited.
- Is the cove exposed to the day’s wind? An anchorage sheltered from a westerly wind can become untenable in an easterly, and vice versa.
Everywhere, speed is limited to 5 knots within the 300 m coastal strip, even without buoys (order 109/2024), and you may not stay more than 72 hours at the same anchorage (order 77/2025).
Possible stops, area by area
| Area | Where to stop | What the rules say |
|---|---|---|
| Golfe de Saint-Tropez | Pampelonne: ZMEL of 184 buoys, including 74 visitor berths. Baie des Canoubiers: three anchoring zones. | Anchoring prohibited on the seagrass meadow and in the buoy areas; sand permitted below 24 m (order 182/2026). Canoubiers: access via channels 20 and 23, 5 knots; exposed to the mistral (order). |
| Fréjus–Saint-Raphaël | Saint-Aygulf beach: clean anchoring zones (ZMP) no. 1 to 4. Veillat: zone no. 30. | Boats under 24 m with a black-water tank, at anchor, 5 knots (order 270/2026). Saint-Aygulf calanques: jet skis prohibited, boats below 5 knots. |
| Estérel | Rade d’Agay: organised mooring zone. Calanques from Anthéor to Le Trayas: seen from offshore. | Rocks of the île des Vieilles and Saint-Barthélemy to be located on the chart; cap Roux fishing reserve. |
| Îles de Lérins | Anse Sainte-Anne: ZMEL from 1st May to 30 September, boats of 6 to 20 m. Port des Moines (Saint-Honorat): stop of six hours at most. | In the ZMEL: 3 knots, anchoring prohibited. Anchoring prohibited over the underwater eco-museum, south of Sainte-Marguerite. |
| Cap d’Antibes | Anse du Croûton: ZMEL on buoys, no booking required. | 24 hours at most, then 48 hours before another stay; registration by QR code; anchoring prohibited in the ZMEL. At la Garoupe and the baie des Milliardaires, check the buoyage plan. |
| Villefranche and Cap-Ferrat | Villefranche roadstead: ZMEL of 52 berths, 13 of them for visitors in season. Paloma: via the channel, with the beach shuttle. | Booking at the moorings office; 5 days at most; anchoring prohibited (order). Anchoring prohibited from the Scaletta to pointe Saint-Hospice (order 170/2026). |
| Cap-d’Ail | Plage Mala: clean anchoring zone (ZMP). | Boats under 20 m with a black-water tank, at anchor, 5 knots; diving prohibited (order 78/2026). |
Where you may not stop
- Monaco: anchoring is prohibited along almost the entire coast, and at Larvotto (Maritime Code).
- Nice: the Promenade des Anglais is a no-motor zone within the 300 m, and anchoring is prohibited around the pointe des Sans-Culottes (order).
- Cannes: off the Croisette, a no-motor zone, and anchoring prohibited in summer, even beyond the 300 m.
- All channels: they are crossed without stopping, even when empty.
- ZMELs: you pick up a buoy there; you never drop anchor, even when all the buoys are taken.
Reading wind exposure
Harbours and towns themselves point out certain exposures: Saint-Tropez harbour describes the Canoubiers as exposed to the mistral, Cannes Marina calls access to the Siagne “very tricky in a strong easterly wind”, and the Villefranche ZMEL regulations require you to leave your berth as soon as the CROSS announces force 6. Beyond these cases, the rule is simple: an anchorage is only sheltered from wind coming off the land that borders it.
Frequently asked questions
Can you drop anchor anywhere on the Côte d’Azur?
No. Swimming zones, no-motor zones, channels, no-anchoring zones and ZMELs rule out anchoring, and Posidonia seagrass meadows must be avoided everywhere. You need to read each town’s buoyage plan.
What is a ZMEL?
A zone of moorings and light equipment: installed and managed buoys, often bookable, where anchoring is prohibited. Pampelonne, the Villefranche roadstead, the anse du Croûton and the anse Sainte-Anne at Lérins each have one.
How long can you stay at the same anchorage?
72 hours in the same place for a leisure boat not subject to authorisation. ZMELs set their own durations: 24 hours at the Croûton, 5 days in the Villefranche roadstead.
Official sources
- Prefectoral order 109/2024 — navigation in the coastal strip
- Prefectoral order 77/2025 — anchoring duration
- Prefectoral order 182/2026 — Pampelonne ZMEL
- Prefectoral order — Villefranche roadstead ZMEL
- Prefectoral order 270/2026 — Fréjus
- Prefectoral order 78/2026 — Cap-d’Ail
- Monaco Maritime Code
- PING — up-to-date regulatory charts
Sources consulted on 26 September 2026. This guide helps you prepare a trip; it replaces neither the texts in force, nor the rental company’s instructions, nor the day’s weather forecast.